Building a Simulation Environment for Huichuan PLC Based on Domestic iFA

The Huichuan iFA Evolution all-scenario intelligent industrial control software platform was launched in February 2025.Today, I will share how to build a Huichuan PLC simulation environment based on iFA and conduct PLC communication testing.

Creating a Project

First, create a new project through iFA, with a custom name.

Building a Simulation Environment for Huichuan PLC Based on Domestic iFA

Then add a new device, selecting a PLC model, with no specific requirements for the PLC model.

Building a Simulation Environment for Huichuan PLC Based on Domestic iFA

A PLC project has now been created.

Network Card Settings

Before downloading the PLC program, we need to prepare a network card, which is a virtual network card. We can obtain the network card in the following three ways.1. Using the virtual machine’s network card: If a virtual machine is installed on the computer, an additional virtual network card will be available for use.2. Manually create a virtual network card: I will write out the specific method separately.3. Using Siemens’ network card: If we have installed PLCSIM Advanced, an additional virtual network card will also be available on the computer.Building a Simulation Environment for Huichuan PLC Based on Domestic iFAWe can choose any network card; here, we will use a self-created network card as an example. The network card type is Microsoft KM TEST Loopback Adapter, and this name should be remembered as it will be used later when downloading the program.Here, I set the IP to 192.168.100.88, as shown below:Building a Simulation Environment for Huichuan PLC Based on Domestic iFA

Downloading the PLC Program

First, we open iFA and click Start Simulation.Building a Simulation Environment for Huichuan PLC Based on Domestic iFA

1. We set the simulation IP address to be consistent with the network card IP and click New:

Building a Simulation Environment for Huichuan PLC Based on Domestic iFA

2. Return to iFA and click the Download button in the toolbar, as shown below:

Building a Simulation Environment for Huichuan PLC Based on Domestic iFA

3. In the pop-up device scanning window, select the type of network card and click Start Search, and the device can be found:

Building a Simulation Environment for Huichuan PLC Based on Domestic iFA

4. After clicking OK, you can proceed to download the PLC program. In the download window, click Load:

Building a Simulation Environment for Huichuan PLC Based on Domestic iFA

5. This completes the download of the PLC program:

Building a Simulation Environment for Huichuan PLC Based on Domestic iFA

ModbusTCP Communication

Next, we will test ModbusTCP communication. The default PLC program does not support ModbusTCP communication, so we need to add a ModbusTCPSlave module.1. Open the iFA program interface and find LAN1 (EtherNet) under Hardware Configuration.Building a Simulation Environment for Huichuan PLC Based on Domestic iFA2. Right-click on LAN1, add a device, and we can see some expansion modules. Select ModbusTCPSlave and click Add Device.Building a Simulation Environment for Huichuan PLC Based on Domestic iFA3. After adding the ModbusTCPSlave module, the PLC program needs to be downloaded again. After downloading, restart the device.Building a Simulation Environment for Huichuan PLC Based on Domestic iFA4. To test variable reading, we create some variables %MW0-%MW4 and assign values from 100 to 500.Building a Simulation Environment for Huichuan PLC Based on Domestic iFA5. We check the ModbusTCP address mapping table of the Huichuan PLC, as shown below:Building a Simulation Environment for Huichuan PLC Based on Domestic iFA6. As shown in the figure, %MW0-%MW4 are mapped to the first five holding registers starting from 0, so we can read the PLC data using ModbusPoll software.Building a Simulation Environment for Huichuan PLC Based on Domestic iFA

Other Communications

The Huichuan PLC simulation supports not only ModbusTCP but also EIP, OPCUA, and even EtherCAT.Building a Simulation Environment for Huichuan PLC Based on Domestic iFAWe will test other communication methods when we have time.FinallyIf you find this article helpful, please give it a thumbs up to support! Your support is my motivation to continue sharing knowledge. If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to leave a message. You can also join the WeChat public account[DotNet Technology Craftsman] community to exchange ideas with other technology enthusiasts and grow together!

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Building a Simulation Environment for Huichuan PLC Based on Domestic iFA

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